Where is this data from?

This data is provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Financial Tracking Service (FTS), which provides worldwide data on humanitarian aid flows. It includes all reported donations to UN agencies operating in the DPRK.

This chart follows the FTS standard in including paid contributions, commitments, and pledges. Because aid commitments and pledges are not always realized, the total amount of donations may therefore be less than what is reflected in the chart. 

Funding for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), which has a resident office in Pyongyang, is accounted for separately from other resident UN programs in North Korea, as UNDP's mission is to provide development assistance rather than humanitarian aid. UNDP funding is therefore not included in this chart. DPRK-related funding for UN agencies that are not resident in North Korea is also not included in this chart.

What kind of activities are UN agencies in North Korea conducting?

The UN resident agencies in North Korea have four stated strategic priorities: social development, partnership for knowledge and development management, nutrition, and climate change and environment. The annual DPRK Needs and Priorities report provides more specific humanitarian objectives:

  • Ensuring life-saving assistance meets the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by disasters and that the DPRK government has the capacity to respond;
  • Ensuring the most vulnerable people, particularly pregnant and lactating women and children, have sufficient consumption of nutritious and therapeutic food; and
  • Ensuring the most vulnerable people, including children, women, and the elderly, have access to basic health and water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

In addition to providing emergency relief, promoting food security and nutrition, and working to improve public health and sanitation, the humanitarian agencies resident in North Korea have also partnered with the North Korean government to produce national-level surveys, such as a nutritional survey published by UNICEF and the most recent North Korean census.

UNDP programs in North Korea have focused on improving agricultural production, promoting rural energy access, and promoting disaster preparedness.

In 2020, the UN prepared an emergency appeal for Covid-19 relief in North Korea. However, UN agencies in North Korea have had limited capacity to implement humanitarian programming since the onset of Covid, due to strict restrictions on imports and internal travel, as well as a complete ban on entry into the country.

Where can I find more information on UN agencies' activities in North Korea?

The "United Nations in DPR Korea" website contains a range of information and publications related to the UN presence in North Korea. Additionally, the Relief Web DPRK country page collects news and documents related to humanitarian emergencies and UN program activities in North Korea. The UN agencies resident in North Korea also publish annual Needs and Priorities reports on their humanitarian objectives.